Becoming Beloved Community grant application process opens

The Presiding Officers’ Advisory Group on Beloved Community Implementation has made available funds to catalyze the church’s work of racial healing, reconciliation and justice.

“The funds have been allocated by General Convention in order to build capacity and increase Episcopal engagement in four primary fields: telling the truth about our churches and race, proclaiming the dream of Beloved Community, practicing Jesus’ way of healing and reconciliation, and repairing the breach in institutions and society,” according to the Episcopal Church website.

Below are excerpts from the grant application document. Read it all here including the application form, information on which types of projects are preferred, and ways to strengthen your proposal.

Application Deadline:

September 13, 2019.

Eligibility

Only Episcopal institutions (parishes, dioceses, provinces, schools, seminaries, monastic communities, Episcopal organizations and other Episcopal-affiliated entities) are eligible to receive these funds. Partnerships with non-Episcopal entities are welcome and encouraged, but an Episcopal entity must serve as the project leader, active manager, and reporting agent.

Application Requirements

As part of the online application process, applicants should provide the following:

Diocesan Bishop’s Endorsement Letter

A clear budget that indicates additional sources of funding and intended use of grant fund

A timeline for proposed work, use of funds and outcomes

A letter of description of partners in the work

Grants will be invited, received and considered on a repeated cycle while funds are available. After an initial round of awards in November 2019, the next cycle will open on April 1, 2020, with awards occurring in June 2020. Grant applications will be accepted during a 30-day period. They will be approved, denied, or may be returned for revision during each granting cycle. Grantees who receive SEED grants are eligible to apply for IMPACT grants within the same triennium.

Grant Types & Criteria

SEED grants of up to $10,000 — Seed grants are smaller grants geared to groups launching new projects and/or evolving the scale of an existing project… Seed grants may be initiated by an organization or an institution and special attention and priority will be given to applications with the potential to bring new and communities into the work of Becoming Beloved Community.

IMPACT grants of up to $20,000 — Impact grants are larger grants aimed primarily at growing capacity, impact and reach of communities and institutions already doing work to advance racial justice, healing, and reconciliation… special priority will be given to applications that demonstrate collaboration of several organizations connected regionally and/or thematically. Priority will also be given to projects that center the experience and leadership of communities most impacted by structural racial inequities.